Help find lasting solutions to abysmal academic performance— Dr Awal

The Minister of Business Development, Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, has called for a consultative meeting of the various stakeholders in the educational sector to help find a lasting solution to the abysmal academic performance in the country, particularly among students in the northern part.

He said it was regrettable that the results of both the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE ) in northern Ghana had been on a steady decline in the last decade, putting the students at the bottom of the BECE and the WASSCE performance ladder

Launch

Dr Awal made the call at the launch of the 60th anniversary of the Ghana Senior High School (GHANASCO) in Tamale last Saturday.

Poor academic results

He expressed worry that for the past 10 years, results of students in both the BECE and the WASSCE had not been encouraging and said something urgent ought to be done to address the problem.

He called on educationists, politicians and parents to dialogue in order to map out strategies to improve the academic performance of students in the area.

He blamed the terrible academic performance partly on parents, students and teachers.

The minister noted with concern that some students were not disciplined and disregarded school rules and regulations, which impacted negatively on their education.

He also complained about the lack of commitment and dedication on the part of some teachers and entreated them to dedicate themselves to their duties.

Responsible parenting

Dr Awal, who is an old student of GHANASCO, further challenged parents to live up to their responsibilities by paying special attention to their children’s education.

He said it was imperative for all to monitor their children’s performance and also make it a point to visit them in school.

He said human resource was the most important tool for development and, therefore, it was important to equip students with the needed knowledge to be up to the challenges ahead of them.

The minister advised the people of the area to take full advantage of the free SHS policy to educate their children.

He added that the government, under the leadership of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo, was working to provide quality and affordable education for all, irrespective of one’s economic status.

Dr Awal announced plans to sponsor girls in the school to offer science courses at the tertiary level and pledged to address the perennial water problem in the school.

Studies

The Managing Director of Stanbic Bank, Mr Alhassan Andani, for his part, admonished the students to take their studies seriously.